Editors: Kathleen Kendall-Tackett can be reached at (603) 428-8215
or kkendallt@aol.com.

DURHAM, N.H. -- For more than a decade Kathleen Kendall-Tackett
has been a sought-after speaker around the world on postpartum depression,
and every year she thinks it will be the last.

“The World Health Organization says depression is responsible
for 28 percent of disability worldwide and there is starting to
be more recognition of it as a problem,” says the University
of New Hampshire health psychologist, “but we still tend to
trivialize depression, especially in new mothers. We have this idea
that it’s a white middle class thing, that minority or teen
mothers don’t have time to get depressed, and that simply
isn’t true.”

According to Kendall-Tackett, who recently published two books on
the topic, as much as 20 percent of new mothers experience depression
and, if not identified, it can go on for years. Thursday, Oct. 6,
2005, is National Depression Screening Day; visit http://www.mentalhealthscreening.org/
for a list of sites providing free screening.

“We need to get depression out into the open, stop shrouding
the topic in secrecy,” says Kendall-Tackett, who chairs the
New Hampshire Breastfeeding Task Force. “Motherhood can be
one of life’s most rewarding experiences, but it can also
be one of the most challenging. Depression is so common in new mothers
that the American Psychological Association considers being a mother
of young children a risk factor for depression.”

In addition, many women don’t seek out treatment because they
think it means they’ll have to stop breastfeeding. Kendall-Tackett
debunks that myth. That’s why her book, The Hidden Feelings
of Motherhood, is an invaluable resource for new mothers. A
new edition features updated information and a new chapter on the
impact of birth on depression.

Research shows depression in the mother can impact a child’s
behavior and IQ through early adolescence, and a new study found
that breastfeeding can actually protect a baby from the harmful
effects of depression.

Kendall-Tackett’s second book, Depression in New Mothers:
Causes, Consequences and Treatment Options, is a summary of
about 700 articles from around the world on the topic for professionals
working in the field of maternal and child health.

“Doctors still tend to treat breastfeeding as optional,”
she said, “but there are so many treatment choices available
now that women shouldn’t be suffering, and they shouldn’t
have to make a choice between treatment for depression and breastfeeding.”